


Ms. Anastasia Loves Ramen Noodles

by NotHack Europa (CrazyCowLady)



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25821397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyCowLady/pseuds/NotHack%20Europa
Summary: The story of a girl that wants to try all the ramen in the world and a boy that does his best to make her dream come true.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	1. Issue 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The CE from this summer event that inspired this reads:
> 
> A revolution exploded within the icy kingdom, and so the entire royal family fled to Japan, a nation on the precipice of an unprecedented age of ramen.  
> The former duchess and current part-time worker Anastasia Nibutamenma Hosomenva toils without end to fund her cross-Japan ramen journey alongside Rock Boy, a boy she met and befriended in a chance encounter, who one day dreams of opening his own ramen shop.
> 
> "I live for this single bowl of ramen!"
> 
> The next issue promises a ramen battle between ramen champion Houzouin and Rock boy.

Issue 1

The enemy Servant pulled the trigger and Anastasia knew that there was nothing that her Master could do to save himself. Not within the time it took for the bullet to reach him. Crypter or not, he was only human after all.

"All of this, then, was... inevitable."

Soldiers, looking down at her, flickered before her mind's eye for only a second.

"...I always did... hate guns..."

Behind her, she could hear him yell. "No...! Anastasia! What are you doing!?"

But it didn't matter. He couldn't undo what she did for him and that was good. She wouldn't want him to. This was the best way she could imagine leaving this broken world of hers. If only he understood... Maybe if she explained it to him, using logic.

"...Silly Kadoc. Don't you see? If you died, I would die too. I'm your Servant, remember?"

"No! You didn't have to do this!"

Kadoc prattled on about how he was going to stop them and save her and win the fight for her. They were grand plans, but ultimately unachievable. Because it was over.

Also, that was not what she wanted. How did he still not see?

"Oh, silly... What would be the point of winning like that? I'm Anastasia," she reminded him. "The rightful heir to the Romanov Dynasty. As far as I'm concerned a victory stolen on a technicality is no victory at all."

'And I am Anastasia, Servant of Crypter Kadoc,' she thought. 'How could I possibly consider this a victory if the Lostbelt stayed while you disappeared?'

"...Maybe not, but..."

There was one last thing! She wasn't allowed to forget!

"I also refuse to let you take your own life once I'm gone. Calm yourself Kadoc... I believe in you."

She went on a little after that, pouring soothing words at him, encouraging words. Later, she barely remembered them as at that point, she didn't think much past what she had to do. She had to save his life somehow.

Oh, but Kadoc wasn't listening. She was almost gone, but his words reached her clearly. They always had.

"My whole life, all I've had is regrets about things I was so sure I could do, but never got a chance."

She mustered all her waining strength for one final piece of encouragement. "...Hold on to those regrets, Master. Hold on to them and-"

But she couldn't hold on any longer.

The soldiers were back, surrounding her.

Wasn't this how she died? The first time it happened, back in Russia?

Not again. Not after just dying for Kadoc. She didn't want to relive this moment.

They closed in on her and she shut her eyes. 'I'll always remember you, even if I am to die again and again.'

Nothing happened. Nothing pierced her flesh. No blood rushed out of her body. No pain filled her mind.

Sounds of a scuffle forced open her eyes and she took in the scene around her.

There was infighting.

Half of the soldiers lay on the ground, dead.

"Lady Anastasia, we must be quick. There is a plan to smuggle you out of the country, but there isn't much time."

This wasn't how she remembered things.

Still dazed, she let the soldier pull her to her feet and followed him without perceiving anything about her surroundings at all. Everything was just too surreal.

Whatever happened, wherever he took her, whether it was all a cruel joke, she didn't care.

Kadoc... had he taken her advice to heart?

She let herself be dragged off to an unknown fate. It didn't matter, because she would never see him again.

**********

"I'll return her! I refuse the limitations. If the Lostbelt is reset, so should she. It's hers! It cannot be remade without her! If there was one thing in my life that I had to get right, it's this one. I cannot fail!"

Another shot rang across the snowy plains and the force of the impact knocked him out in an instant.

With a gasp and a jump, Kadoc woke up, looking around frantically.

He... he's been here before. He was almost certain.

This was... this wasn't Yaga Moscow.

It wasn't one of the smaller Yaga towns either.

It was much too warm in this place. This was what summer felt like, a life-time ago.

And then there were all those humans milling about.

And that meant... it wasn't his Lostbelt at all.

He failed. Of course he did.

Still...

"Is this Japan?"

One of the passersby stopped next to him, noting his obvious confusion. He said something in Japanese, but Kadoc didn't understand.

The stranger laughed and grabbed his arm. Kadoc had half a mind to rip it free rather violently. He wasn't in the mood for being bullied around any longer. His day had been long and painful and he didn't want to be here, much less now that he was being dragged around by a local.

The man pushed him into one of the many small restaurants lining the street, giving him one last word of encouragement. A smell of hot broth and boiling vegetables filled the air and his stomach grumbled instantly.

Kadoc thought he somewhat understood. He must have looked exhausted after everything that happened.

Maybe, some hot soup was exactly what he needed to sort his thoughts.

When he surveyed the room, more out of habit than for an actual reason, his heart froze and he stood paralyzed in shock.

It was her.

His Anastasia.

No, it couldn't be. She wasn't even Japanese. He must have mistaken her.

In that moment, the girl turned and noticed his staring.

He couldn't just stand there like an idiot and-

"Oh, are you a foreigner as well? If you don't know what to order, I can help you out! There are only two more meals on the menu that I haven't tried before I am done with this one!"

She grabbed his hand and it was the most natural movement in the world.

He let her pull him towards her table and sat down next to her.

"My name is Anastasia, by the way. My family fled to Japan from Russia."

Kadoc blanked. How was he supposed to react? He couldn't just go 'I'm Kadoc the Crypter and I tried to overwrite your world with a snowy hellscape where you were my Servant.'

But not saying anything just made him look stupid.

He didn't want her to think he was stupid.

"Um, I'm- wait, you tried almost every meal in this shop?"

"Yes, I will try every meal in every ramen shop."

A waiter joined them and Anastasia ordered in fluent Japanese.

"It's my life's goal. I know people will say it's unachievable, but I'm dead set on it! But enough about me, it would be wrong not to inquire about the mysterious boy I met in a chance encounter in one of my favorite places!~"

Kadoc didn't know what to say. He could tell her that her mysterious chance encounter was nothing but a scumbag. That would be honest. But there was another honesty that he could tell her instead.

"It doesn't matter. I don't care much for who I was until this point, so I guess I can't properly introduce myself. I hope you'll still have lunch with me."

She smiled and slurped some of her ramen, before answering.

"That's alright. If you don't want to be yourself, who would you like to be?"

He wasn't up for these difficult questions after everything that he went through only moments ago.

"I don't care. How about you choose?"

His soup arrived while she was mulling things over. After blowing on it, he took a bite. It was hot and delicious and so much better than anything his Lostbelt had ever produced.

"Okay, I will call you Rock Boy and you're going to help me try all of the ramen. And once we're done, you're going to use all of the knowledge we've gathered, and you're going to open the best ramen shop in the world."

Kadoc was stunned. How did she know his favorite musical genre? Was she-

"That sounds ridiculous and impossible," he answered. "I like it. Let's make it come true!"


	2. Issue 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The CE from this summer event that inspired this reads:
> 
> A revolution exploded within the icy kingdom, and so the entire royal family fled to Japan, a nation on the precipice of an unprecedented age of ramen.  
> The former duchess and current part-time worker Anastasia Nibutamenma Hosomenva toils without end to fund her cross-Japan ramen journey alongside Rock Boy, a boy she met and befriended in a chance encounter, who one day dreams of opening his own ramen shop.
> 
> "I live for this single bowl of ramen!"
> 
> The next issue promises a ramen battle between ramen champion Houzouin and Rock boy.

Chapter 2:  
Kadoc had been swept up in the ramen-eating whirlwind that was Anastasia. She was sweet and funny and always complimented the chefs on their ramen.  
It wasn't until Kadoc started experimenting with his *own* recipes, when things got a bit heated.  
They had just finished their meals at a new restaurant and the waiter was collecting their empty bowls, when Anastasia did her usual thing. By now, he knew what the words meant, even though she said them in Japanese.  
"This was amazing ramen. Please give my compliments to the chef!~"  
Everything was as normal, except when she added another sentence. It had something to do with ramen, that much he knew, but-  
Why did she mention his name?  
The waiter laughed and turned around while they packed their things.  
"What did you tell him?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity and Anastasia chuckled.  
"I want the chef to know that eventually we're going to return and show him *your* ramen and that it will be the best he has ever tasted!"  
Oh no.  
"Anastasia!"  
"Don't worry. I believe in you. There's nothing you can't do."  
And her smile melted his-  
No, he couldn't let this continue.  
"If you keep telling chefs that their patrons will make better ramen than them, we'll get into trouble," he tried to admonish her.  
"But you will!"  
There was no reasoning with this lady.  
Grumbling, Kadoc rushed to the till to pay. He had learned how to handle the foreign currency by now.  
When he turned around, a bald man in traditional Japanese clothing - who was he kidding, they all were wearing traditional Japanese clothing - stood before him, blocking his way out.  
He said something in Japanese. Kadoc didn't understand.  
"Sorry mate, but I don't speak your language and I frankly don't have-"  
The stranger interrupted him with more angry Japanese. There was a single word that Kadoc could make out and it didn't bode well - ramen.  
From behind the man, Anastasia appears with a bright grin.  
"He's challenging you to a ramen battle. Apparently I insulted his honor as the sitting ramen champion! Who would have guessed we had ramen from such a famous personality?"  
All Kadoc could do was groan as he was bullied into the kitchen by the man who, judging by the power behind his pushes, was hiding way too many muscles under his bulky clothing for a simple ramen chef.  
"Just go through with it! It's alright to lose to him since you're still in training! This is the part where you realize that you still have a long journey ahead of you and vow to return to this shop to beat the champion after honing your ramen skills! Don't give up!"  
Kadoc would have preferred to skip this part she was talking about, but resigned himself to his fate at the enthusiasm in her voice. He'd play along this once.  
They entered the kitchen and immediately, Kadoc knew he had lost.  
Everything was labeled in Japanese.  
There were moon runes on all of the spices. It would take ages to identify them now that Anastasia was relegated to the sidelines instead of diligently fetching him what he needed.  
The chef smirked at his obvious despair and Kadoc turned away from him. He wouldn't let this guy get to him.  
"On my count!~" Anastasia cheered before switching to Japanese.  
"Three, two, one, go!"  
Kadoc grabbed the pots and pans, heating the noodles and preparing the base for the broth.  
Spices. If he was fighting a proper chef, he didn't have time to sniff them all out, so he'd have to select some by sight and use his smell to prevent any catastrophes. He wouldn't be able to catalogue all his choices to make a well-coordinated blend.  
Behind him, he could hear the chef laugh. He'd show that guy. He'd show him the true powers of Kadoc, the Crypt-  
"This is the ultimate pinnacle of the ladle. The eleven spices that establish an undefeated flavor, TAKAYAME RAMEN!"  
Kadoc whipped around to see the man laughing madly, a perfect bowl of ramen sitting on the countertop in front of him.  
Meanwhile, he was still cradling his wild selection of herbs.  
Anastasia skipped towards the ramen and, after a short exchange with the chef, tried it.  
"This is amazing, Rock Boy! You should really try some," she exclaimed in pure bliss.  
"Maybe later. For now, I need to finish what I started. You better leave some room for mine, because it's going to be the best!"

***

By the time her Master finished cooking his ramen, the chef had returned to his duties and was busy fulfilling orders around them.  
Kadoc came up to her, holding an interesting smelling soup in her direction.  
"Hmm, did you try something completely new?"  
His face crumbled a little.  
"I couldn't read the labels on the spices. Just eat it, okay."  
With a smile, she took the bowl. Kadoc needed all the smiles she could offer. He had a lot of catching up to do and she was dead set on making his new life into the best and most fulfilling life possible.  
Steeling herself, she grabbed a pair of chopsticks, ready to dig in.  
"You know, when I first came here, people kept giving me forks because they didn't think I could eat with chopsticks?"  
Maybe that would lighten his mood.  
It didn't.  
"Yeah, people keep underestimating us, don't they?"  
Now, he sounded even more bitter.  
Time to change the subject. Anastasia took a first bite, ready to fake whatever she had to fake, based on her Master's own admission of using pretty much random herbs, but-  
"This is great! I've never had ramen like this before!"  
Her honest approval was all the support Kadoc needed. His frown evened out and he let out a relieved sigh.  
"Well, if you like it, that's good enough for me. Let's leave this place, I don't want to listen to that guy critiquing my ramen in a language I don't even understand."  
They weren’t able to sneak out, as the chef caught them, smirking.  
“Have you had your fill of my ramen techniques? Running away with your tail between your legs?”  
Kadoc wanted to shout something back at him, but Anastasia’s hand had found his and was giving it a squeeze. Next time, then. Next time, he’d show him.  
They left with Anastasia still clutching his ramen, eating it on their way back to their flat.


End file.
